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A training has been organised for smallholder farmers in the Tolon District in the Northern Region to build their capacity to serve as focal persons for agricultural technology and innovation dissemination in the area.
The beneficiaries were taken through climate smart agriculture, as well as organic and modern agronomy practices.
Organised by the Ghana Agricultural Innovation Network (GAIN) with support from the Danida Alumni Network in Ghana, the beneficiaries are expected to transfer the knowledge acquired to their peers in their respective communities to help improve their yields.
Addressing the farmers at the training in Tolon, a Researcher at the Danida Alumni Network, Eugene Dela Setsoafia, said the beneficiary farmers would complement the efforts of the District Agriculture Department to reach out to many farmers in the area.
He noted that inadequate logistics had been a major issue hampering the operations of extension officers, but with the initiative, the lead farmers would be able to assist their colleagues easily because they lived in the same communities.
He urged the beneficiaries to share the knowledge acquired with other famers in order for them to improve their crop yields and enhance food security.
For his part, the Tolon District Director of Agriculture, Basit Abdul Zakari, commended the organisation and its partner for the training offered to the farmers.
He indicated that the farmer-to-agriculture extension officer ratio in the district was about 1:3,000 farmers, which was higher than the international ratio of about 1:500 farmers, adding that “Basically, it means that some farmers may not readily get access to agriculture extension officers; that is why this intervention is very important.”
Some of the beneficiaries who spoke to the Daily Graphic thanked the organisers for the gesture and pledged to transfer the knowledge acquired to their peers.
